Packaged add-on multiple glazing units and method

ABSTRACT

Two prefabricated add-on glazing subassemblies are sealed together to form a package for handling, shipping, and storage. When separated, each subassembly is mounted onto an existing single glazed window to convert it to an insulating, sealed, multiple glazed installation.

United States Patent [1 1 Mazzoni et a1.

[ 51 Dec. 30, 1975 PACKAGED ADD-ON MULTIPLE GLAZING UNITS AND METHOD[75]. Inventors: Renato J. Mazzoni, Tarentum;

George H. Bowser, New Kensington; John L. Stewart, Murrysville, all of[73] Assignee: PPG Industries, Inc., Pittsburgh, Pa.

[22] Filed: Mar. 25, 1974 [21] Appl. No.1 454,210

[52] US. Cl. 52/172; 52/203; 52/616; 52/741; 206/454 [51] Int. Cl. B65D85/48; E06B 3/28 [58] Field of Search 52/172, 173, 202, 203, 52/397,398, 399, 400, 616, 741; 206/449, 454

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,777,435 10/1930 Hogelund52/203 3,299,591 l/1967 Woelk 52/203 3,460,303 8/1969 Algrain et a1.52/616 X 3,511,990 5/1970 Hauss 206/454 X 3,618,755 11/1971 Kean et all.206/454 3,733,237 5/1973 Wolff 52/172 X Primary ExaminerPrice C. Faw,Jr. Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Dennis G. Millman 57 ABSTRACT Twoprefabricated add-on glazing subassemblies are sealed together to form apackage for handling, shipping, and storage. When separated, eachsubassembly is mounted onto an existing single glazed window to convertit to an insulating, sealed, multiple glazed installation.

21 Claims, 13 Drawing Figures US. Patent Dec. 30, 1975 Sheet20f53,928,953

U.S. Patent Dec. 30, 1975 Sheet4 0f5 3,928,953

US. Patent Dec. 30, 1975 Sheet 5 of5 3,928,953

PACKAGED ADD-ON MULTIPLE GLAZING UNITS AND METHOD BACKGROUND OF THEINVENTION This invention relates to the conversion of installed, singleglazed windows into multiple glazed windows, more particularly to anadvantageous method and means for handling, storing, and shippingprefabricated subassemblies to be used in such a conversion.

In U.S. Pat. application Ser. No. 454,338 filed on even date herewith byRenato J. Mazzoni, George H. Bowser, and Richard R. Lewchuk, assigned tothe assignee of the present invention and which is hereby incorporatedby reference, there are disclosed improved methods and means fortransforming single glazed windows into hermetically sealed, insulating,multiple glazed units. The embodiments disclosed therein involve thepreliminary fastening of a spacer element to the marginal surfaces ofthe transparent pane which is to be added onto the window. Certainadvantages are obtained if the fastening of the spacer is performed at afactory or central distribution facility, such as: the efficiency ofmass production techniques, the formation of better bonds and seals dueto the availability of specialized equipment, fewer limitations as tothe materials that may be used, and a more uniform product because ofbetter quality control and the use of experienced personnel.

Such a prefabrication technique would be even more desirable if apractical means of shipping and handling the prefabricated subassemblieswere available. One problem encountered is that it is usually preferredto use spacers containing a desiccating agent, which must be protectedfrom atmospheric moisture during shipping. In many cases, it is desiredto provide a reflective coating on the surface of the pane that is to besealed into the airspace. Many of such coatings are fragile, however,and during shipping of the subassemblies the coatings would be subjectto deterioration from exposure to the atmosphere and from abrasion.Furthermore, since the surface of the pane which is to be sealed intothe airspace must be meticulously clean at the time of installation, itwould be advantageous if stringent factory cleaning operations could beemployed and the surface of the pane kept free from contaminants duringsubsequent shipping and handling.

One approach taken in the prior art is disclosed in US. Pat. No.1,915,098 to Kile. In that patent, a strippable sheet'of Holland cloth(a heavily sized linen material) is applied across the open face of thesubassembly and adhered to the spacer around the perimeter. Such anapproach is disadvantageous because of the large amount of materialrequired, because a moisture resistant seal would be difficult toachieve, and because the sheet is susceptible to accidental dislocationand tearing.

Thus, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improvedmethod and means for shipping, storing, and handling add-on glazingsubassemblies. The invention is applicable not only to the particularembodiments shown in the above-identified copending application, but tothe handling of any glazing unit which has its airspace temporarilyopen.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with the present invention, twoadd-on glazing subassemblies are placed in generally face-tofacerelation and the airspace therebetween temporarily sealed so as to forman essentially airtight enclosure that protects the interior surfacesand the desiccant. Theairspace is preferably sealed by means of a tapecoated with an adhesive or sealant. At the installation site, thesubassemblies are separated by peeling or cutting the tape.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION A complete understanding of theinvention will be obtained from the following detailed description,taken together with the drawings in which:

FIG. I is a perspective view, partially cut away, of a single glazedwindow installation upon which the present invention may be practiced;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of one embodiment of anadd-on glazing subassembly;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of two subassemblies of thetype shown in FIG. 2 joined to form a sealed package in accordance withthe present invention;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of a separated subassemblywith sealant applied thereto in preparation for mounting;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view, partially broken away, of the windowstructure shown in FIG. 1 after conversion to double glazing;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view, taken along lines 6-6 inFIG. 5 of a completed installation of the subassembly shown in FIG. 4onto the window installation shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of two add-on glazingsubassemblies of a second embodiment joined to form a sealed package inaccordance with the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of a subassembly formed bysplitting the package shown in FIG. 7

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of a completed installationof the subassembly shown in FIG. 8 onto the window installation of FIG.15

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of two add-on glazingsubassemblies of a third embodiment joined to form a sealed package inaccordance with the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of a subassembly formed bycutting apart the package shown in FIG.

FIG. 12 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of a completedinstallation of the subassembly shown in FIG. 11 onto the windowinstallation shown in FIG. 15 and FIG. 13 is a fragmentarycross-sectional view of a fourth embodiment of packaged subassemblies.

Depicted in FIG. 1 is an interior view of a single glazed window unitthat would typically form part of a building wall structure, the windowcomprising a pane of glass 15 and a frame 16. The conversion of such awindow to double glazing will serve as an illustrative example of thisinvention.

In FIG. 2, there is shown a preferred embodiment of an add-on glazingsubassembly made in accordance with the disclosure of theabove-identified copending application. Briefly, the subassemblyincludes a moisture resistant (i.e., essentially water vapor impervious)ribbon 20, preferably aluminum foil about 8 mils thick, along the lengthof which is attached an elongated spacer element, preferably flexible,moisture vapor permeable, organic material having a desiccant dispersedtherein as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,758,996. Spacer 21 is adhered toribbon 20 by means of an adhesive or sealant layer 22. The spacer isaffixed to the margin of one major surface of the pane by folding ribbon20 around the edge of transparent pane 30 (which is the pane to beadded) along the entire perimeter of the pane, and sealing the ribbon tothe peripheral edge 32 of the pane and to the margin of the other majorsurface 33 of the pane by means of a layer of sealant 23. Sealant 23 ispreferably a tacky, non-curing, butyl-based sealant as disclosed in U.S.Pat. application Ser. No. 454,336 filed under the name of George H.Bowser on even date herewith, assigned to the assignee of the presentinvention, and hereby incorporated by reference. The other side ofribbbon 20 is folded around a corner of spacer 21 and affixed to a sidethereof by means of adhesive or sealant 24. Pane 30 may be glass orplastic, and may be tinted or reflectively coated. If pane 30 includesan easily damaged coating, the coating should be on inner major surface31, i.e., the surface facing airspace 43 (FIG. 6) of the final assembly.

Turning now to FIG. 3, there can be seen an enclosed package formed bythe subassembly shown in FIG. 2 and a second identical subassembly inaccordance with the present invention. The elements of the secondsubassembly, which corresponds to the elements of the FIG. 2subassembly, are indicated by corresponding primed numerals. Thesubassemblies are adjoined, with surfaces 31 and 31' disposed ingenerally face-to-face opposed relation and with the spacers 21 and 21'nonadhesively adjoining each other around the perimeter. The twosubassemblies are held together and the interior airspace 39 sealed byapplying closure means around the perimeter over the interface betweenthe spacers. The closure means may consist of a tape 37 which isdesirably a moisture resistant material, preferably an essentiallymoisture impervious material such as metallic foil (particularlyaluminum foil) or the like, and carries a layer of adhesive 38, which ispreferably pressure sensitive. Since the enclosure formed is to bemerely temporary and would not normally be exposed to severe temperatureconditions, adhesive 38 need not be selected for high moistureresistance properties, but preferably tape 37 and adhesive 38 havesufficient width and moisture resistance to create a relatively longbarrier in the path of moisture penetration. For this reason, it isdesirable that tape 37 have sufficient width to cover most of theperipheral edge surface of the combined subassemblies. Even greatermoisture barrier length can be achieved by using a tape that is widerthan the combined subassemblies, and folding the excess width around theoutside edges of the subassemblies. A suitable commercially availablefoilbacked adhesive tape is 3M 425, manufactured by the Minnesota Miningand Manufacturing Co., Minneapolis, Minn.

With a pair of subassemblies thus assembled in packaged form, the unitsmay be handled, shipped, and stored like ordinary factory-made multipleglazed units. Desiccant carried in or on the spacers will be preserved,coatings on the inner surfaces will remain free from marring anddeterioration, and cleanliness of the critical inner surfaces will bemaintained. At the installation site the tape 37 may be peeled off orsplit along the interface between the spacers of the two subassemblieswith a cutting instrument, taking care not to damage ribbon 20 or theorganic spacer. If the tape is to be cut, it should be of relativelythin gauge so as to require relatively little force to cut, therebyreducing the chances of harming the underlying ribbon and spacer. FIG. 2shows a subassembly that has had the tape 37 peeled off. FIGS. 5 and 6show the window of FIG. 1 with the subassembly in place so as to createa multiple glazed installation in accordance with the proceduresdescribed in the above-identified copending application of R. J.Mazzoni, G. H. Bowser, and R. R. Lewchuk.

Optionally, a band of mastic 34 may be applied along the exposed surfaceof the folded portion of ribbon 20 which carries the adhesive or mastic24 as shown in FIG. 4. Mastic 34 desirably should be tacky andnoncuring, preferably the butyl-based sealant referred to above inconnection with mastic 23. FIG. 6 is a crosssectional view, taken alonglines 66 in FIG. 5 showing details of the edge portion of thesubassembly after being mounted onto the interior side of the windowinstallation depicted in FIG. 1. A layer of mastic 42 is applied aroundthe periphery of inside surface 41 of installed pane 15 along a pathcorresponding generally to the outline of spacer 21 on the subassembly.Mastic 42 is preferably the same tacky, non-curing, butylbased sealantas mastic 34.

The subassembly is then moved into position, the spacer aligned withmastic 42, and pressed against pane 15 to effect a seal with mastic 42,thus creating a hermetically sealed airspace 43. As an extra precaution,it may be desirable to extrude a sealant 44 into the gap left around theperimeter of the subassembly. Any resilient sealant or caulking compoundmay serve this purpose. For decorative purposes, a trim strip 40 may beapplied around the periphery of the installation.

FIGS. 7, 8 and 9 relate to a different embodiment of the add-on multipleglazing subassembly and a variation of the packaging technique. Thisembodiment is particularly directed to a subassembly which includes ahollow metal spacer containing desiccant 51 and including an opening 52.The metal spacer is attached to pane 30 by adhesive or sealant layer 53.One subassembly is aligned with a second subassembly, whose elements areindicated by corresponding primed numerals, with spacers 51 and 51non-adhesively adjoined to form a closed space 56 as shown in FIG. 7.The package thus formed is then sealed by applying closure meansconsisting of moisture resistant tape 54 and adhesive 55 about theperimeter of the combined subassemblies so as to overlie the interfacebetween the spacer elements of the subassemblies. As shown in FIG. 7,the moisture barrier formed by the tape may be extended by using a widetape that is folded around the outside edges of the subassemblies. Thepackage may be given extra strength by using a heavier tape, such as 8mil thick aluminum. The greater effort required to cut the heavier tapewhen separating the units is not a significant drawback when using metalspacers, since the metal spacers are not as susceptible to damage fromcutting as are organic spacers. The tape may, of course, be peeled offinstead of cut apart. Adhesive 55 is preferably pressure-sensitive, andmay advantageously consist of the tacky, non-curing, butyl-based sealantpreviously referred to.

In FIG. 8, there is shown one subassembly that has been cut from thepackage of FIG. 7, leaving tape and adhesive portions 54' and 55attached. The tape and adhesive portions provide extra protection to theseal formed by layer 53 as well as reinforcing the attachment of thespacer to the pane 30. FIG. 9 shows a completed installation of thesubassembly of FIG. 8

onto the window structure'shown in FIG. 1. The subassembly is mountedonto the window in the same manner as described in connection with theprevious embodiment.

It should be understood that organic spacers could be substituted forthe metal spacers'in the arrangement in FIGS. 7-9, provided that thetape 54 is to be removed by peeling or that considerable care is takenwhen subsequently cutting the units apart.

Another embodiment of the invention is shown in FIG. 10, featuring aspacer element 60, preferably metal, that is filled with a desiccantmaterial 6 and provided with an opening 62. Spacer 60 has indentations63 along its length adapted to receive a flowable, room temperaturesetting sealant such as thermoplastics applied in hot melt form orconventional polysulfide-based sealants such as disclosed in U.S. Pat.No. 3,348,351. Such spacers may be employed to make an add-on glazingsubassembly by sealing one side of the spacer to the additional pane 30with a layer of sealant 64, which is preferably a tacky, butyl-basedsealant. The subassembly thus formed may be brought together with asecond identical subassembly (whose corresponding elements areidentified by primed numerals in FIG. 10) with a portion of the surfacesof the spacers in non-adhering contact so as to form a package as shownin FIG. 10. Rather than extending a tape over the interface between thetwo, spacers to act as the closure means this embodiment contemplatesclosing the package by extruding a fiowable, room temperature settingsealant 65 such as a polysulfide into the void created by the twoadjacent indentations on the opposed spacers. Such a sealant may set toprovide structural coherence to the package as well as sealing theenclosed airspace At the installation site, the package of FIG. 10 maybe separated by cutting through sealant 65, thereby producing asubassembly as shown in FIG. llll having portion 65' of the sealantretained thereon. Installation onto the existing pane preferablyutilizes tacky mastic 42 as referred to above. A flowable sealant 67,such as a polysulfide, is then forced into the space around thesubassembly and forced into the void formed by indentation 63 tocomplete the seal.

In FIG. 13, there is shown yet another type of package arrangementwithin the contemplation of the pres ent invention. That embodiment isspecially adapted so as to provide protection for organic spacers whenthe package is to be cut apart. This is accomplished in the embodimentillustrated by applying a moisture resistant tape 70, preferablyaluminum foil, around the periphery of a pair of subassemblies that areinitially aligned with a gap left between the opposing spacers 21 and21'. The portion of tape 70 which bridges the gap is creased so that aninwardly extending pleat 71 is formed when the subassemblies are urgedtoward each other. Each half of the package thus formed will essentiallycomprise the subassembly embodiment of FIG. 2 when the package is cutapart by running a sharp instrument along pleat 71. During the shippingand handling, pleat 71 may be compressed to at least partially adhereadhesive layers 24 and 24' to the spacers. Layers 24 and 24' mayalternatively be initially applied to tha spacers rather than to thetape. Another variation may employ a single, continuous layer of tacky,non

curing sealant acrossthe entire width of tape 78. It should beappreciated that, by reason of the presence of pleat 71, the package ofFIG. 13 permits rapid cutting without requiring great care to preventdamaging organic spacers.

Each of the sealants, mastics, or adhesives employed in conjunction withthis invention is preferably highly moisture resistant, i.e.,characterized by low moisture vapor permeability, so as to effect goodmoisture barriers and hermetic seals. In addition, they are alsopreferably characterized by excellent. flexibility; cohesive andadhesive bonding; and tear, shear, peel, and tensile strength over arelatively wide range of expected operating temperatures, includingtemperatures from .60F. to Furthermore, they should be essen tiallyinert and unaffectedby chemicals, e.g., cleaning solutions, air bornepollutants or the like, with which they may normally be expected to comeinto contact.

It should be understood, however, that in certain instances related tothe location or use of the sealants, mastics, or adhesives in thestructures disclosed, one or more of the above characteristicsor'properties may be of more dominant importance than another or othersand accordingly, the choice of mastic materials used may varysubstantially.

For example, moisture resistance may not be a dominant requirement foradhesive 38 in the embodiment of FIG.3 so long as tape 37, inconjunction with the adhesive 38, provides the desired protectionagainst mois ture penetration during shipping or'storage. Anotherexample may be'seen in' the subassembly embodiment utilized in thepackage assembly of FIG. 3. There, moisture resistance may not be adominant requirement for layer 22 because adequate protection againstmoisture penetration can be provided by ribbon 20 in conjunc tion withthe other mastics during shipping or storage as well as after finalinstallation to form a multiple glazed window.

It should be apparent from the foregoing description that the presentinvention is applicable to shipping or storing any add-on glazing unitthat includes a spacer element affixed to one pane. Thus, the add-onglazing subassemblies described herein are preferred embodiments and aremerely exemplary.

It is also to be understood that other modifications and variations asare known to those of skill in the art may be resorted to withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by theappended claims.

We claim:

1. A packaged assembly of glazing units comprising:

two discrete glazing subassemblies, each including a transparent paneand a spacer element affixed to marginal portions of one major surfaceof each said pane; said subassemblies adjoining each other in opposed,substantially non-adhering relation, said spacers lying between saidpanes in substantial alignment with each other so as to form asubstantially enclosed space between said panes; and closure meansadhered to edge surface portions of said adjoined subassemblies forretaining said subassemblies in the adjoining relationship.

2. The packaged assembly of claim 1 wherein said closure means alsocomprises a barrier for resisting penetration of moisture into saidenclosed space.

3. The packaged assembly of claim 2 wherein said spacer elements carrydesiccant.

4. The packaged assembly of claim 1 wherein said one major surface of atleast one of said panes has a coating applied thereto.

5. The packaged assembly of claim 1 wherein said panes are tinted.

6. The packaged assembly of claim 1 wherein said panes are glass.

7. The packaged assembly of claim 1 wherein said closure means comprisesa moisture resistant tape.

8. The packaged assembly of claim 7 wherein said tape is metallic andflexible.

9. The packaged assembly of claim 7 wherein said tape includes a pleatdisposed between said spacer elements.

10. The packaged assembly of claim 7 wherein said tape is adhered bymeans of a layer of moisture resistant material between said tape andsaid edge surface portions.

11. A packaged assembly of glazing units comprising:

two discrete glazing subassemblies, each including a transparent paneand a spacer element affixed to marginal portions of one major surfaceof each said pane, said subassemblies adjoining each other with saidspacer elements having at least a portion of their surfaces innon-adhering contact with each other so as to form a substantiallyenclosed space between said panes; and

closure means adhered to the exterior of said adjoined subassemblies formaintaining said subassemblies adjoined.

12. The packaged assembly of claim 11 wherein said closure means alsocomprises a barrier for resisting penetration of moisture into saidenclosed space.

13. The packaged assembly of claim 12 wherein said spacer elements carrydesiccant.

14. The packaged assembly of claim 11 wherein said one major surface ofat least one of said panes has a coating applied therto.

15. The packaged assembly of claim 11 wherein said panes are tinted.

16. The packaged assembly of claim 11 wherein said panes are glass.

17. The packaged assembly of claim 11 wherein said closure meanscomprises an extrusion of sealant material disposed between said spacerelements.

18. A method of adding an additional transparent pane to an installedpane so as to form a sealed, insulating space therebetween comprisingthe steps of:

transporting to the installation site a packaged assembly of two glazingsubassemblies, each of which includes a transparent pane to be added,and a spacer element affixed to said pane to be added, saidsubassemblies adjoining each other with said spacer elements disposedtherebetween so as to form an enclosed space between said panes to beadded, said packaged assembly further including closure means adhered toedge surface portions of said subassemblies for maintaining theadjoining relationship of said subassemblies;

dividing said packaged assembly to separate the two subassemblies; and

mounting one of said subassemblies onto the installed pane with thespacer element disposed between the pane to be added and the installedpane.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein said closure means comprises amoisture resistant tape, and said dividing step comprises peeling offsaid tape.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein said closure means comprises amoisture resistant tape, and said dividing step comprises cutting saidtape.

21. The method of claim 18 wherein said closure means comprises anextrusion of sealant material, and said dividing step comprises cuttingsaid sealant material.

1. A packaged assembly of glazing units comprising: two discrete glazingsubassemblies, each including a transparent pane and a spacer elementaffixed to marginal portions of one major surface of each said pane;said subassemblies adjoining each other in opposed, substantiallynon-adhering relation, said spacers lying between said panes insubstantial alignment with each other so as to form a substantiallyenclosed space between said panes; and closure means adhered toperipheral surfaces of said adjoined subassemblies for retaining saidsubassemblies in the adjoining relationship.
 2. The packaged assembly ofclaim 1 wherein said closure means also comprises a barrier forresisting penetration of moisture into said enclosed space.
 3. Thepackaged assembly of claim 2 wherein said spacer elements carrydesiccant.
 4. The packaged assembly of claim 1 wherein said one majorsurface of at least one of said panes has a coating applied thereto. 5.The packaged assembly of claim 1 wherein said panes are tinted.
 6. Thepackaged assembly of claim 1 wherein said panes are glass.
 7. Thepackaged assembly of claim 1 wherein said closure means comprises amoisture resistant tape.
 8. The packaged assembly of claim 7 whereinsaid tape is metallic and flexible.
 9. The packaged assembly of claim 7wherein said tape includes a pleat disposed between said spacerelements.
 10. The packaged assembly of claim 7 wherein said tape isadhered by means of a layer of moisture resistant material between saidtape and said peripheral surfaces.
 11. A packaged assembly of glazingunits comprising: two discrete glazing subassemblies, each including atransparent pane and a spacer element affixed to marginal portions ofone major surface of each said pane, said subassemblies adjoining eachother with said spacer elements having at least a portion of theirsurfaces in non-adhering contact with each other so as to form asubstantially enclosed space between said panes; and closure meansadhered to the exterior of said adjoined subassemblies for maintainingsaid subassemblies adjoined.
 12. The packaged assembly of claim 11wherein said closure means also comprises a barrier for resistingpenetration of moisture into said enclosed space.
 13. The packagedassembly of claim 12 wherein said spacer elements carry desiccant. 14.The packaged assembly of claim 11 wherein said one major surface of atleast one of said panes has a coating applied therto.
 15. The packagedassembly of claim 11 wherein said panes are tinted.
 16. The packagedassembly of claim 11 wherein said panes are glass.
 17. The packagedassembly of claim 11 wherein said closure means comprises an extrusionof sealant material disposed between said spacer elements.
 18. A methodof adding an additional transparent pane to an installed pane so as toform a sealed, insulating space therebetween comprising the steps of:transporting to the installation site a packaged assembly of two glazingsubassemblies, each of which includes a transparent pane to be added,and a spacer element affixed to said pane to be added, saidsubassemblies adjoining each other with said spacer elements disposedtherebetween so as to form an enclosed space betweeN said panes to beadded, said packaged assembly further including closure means adhered toperipheral surfaces of said subassemblies for maintaining the adjoiningrelationship of said subassemblies; dividing said packaged assembly toseparate the two subassemblies; and mounting one of said subassembliesonto the installed pane with the spacer element disposed between thepane to be added and the installed pane. pg,16
 19. The method of Claim18 wherein said closure means comprises a moisture resistant tape, andsaid dividing step comprises peeling off said tape.
 20. The method ofclaim 18 wherein said closure means comprises a moisture resistant tape,and said dividing step comprises cutting said tape.
 21. The method ofclaim 18 wherein said closure means comprises an extrusion of sealantmaterial, and said dividing step comprises cutting said sealantmaterial.